Conservation Champion Brand, Elephant Gin – Is Now A B Corp.

Award-winning gin producer Elephant Gin achieves B Corp status – receiving 90 points from B Lab (the non-profit, that accredits companies with the certification).

Elephant Gin has put environmental sustainability at the core of its operations, since its Founders Tessa and Robin Gerlach – started the company in 2013.

The brand donates 15% of all bottle profits – to elephant conservation projects. They recently announced that they have donated more than €1,000,000 – to protect the African elephant.

Based in Germany, the sustainably conscious, ISO-certified distillery – produces its handcrafted, award-winning gin products – in recyclable, plastic-free glass bottles. As a newly certified B Corp in the spirits industry, Elephant Gin is counted among businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.

“We set up Elephant Gin to try and make a difference. We are used to certifications, but this was a truly rigorous process – that delves deep into every area of the business,” said Elephant Gin’s Co-Founder, Robin Gerlach.

“For the last 10 years, we have given back to what inspired us in the first place. We are proud to be a part of the B Corp community, who inspires us to continue to work harder for the planet,” said Elephant Gin’s Co-Founder, Tessa Gerlach.

Elephant Gin’s Founders, Tessa and Robin Gerlach – were inspired to create their range of premium handcrafted gins – following their adventures in Africa. In 2013, they developed their Elephant London Dry Gin (45%) – that uses rare African botanicals, and focuses on resolutely artisan production methods.

Their portfolio was complemented by the aromatic Elephant Sloe Gin (35%), the full-bodied Elephant Strength Gin (57%), and the fresh Elephant Orange Cocoa Gin (40%). Each of Elephant Gin’s unique bottles is individually crafted with handwritten labels, excerpts of African maps, and an embossed crest of the Maasai.

Tessa (Elephant Gin’s Co-Founder) grew up in rural North West Germany, which lacked many wildlife specimens.

As a child, she always dreamt of becoming a marine biologist or a film producer. Her favourite toy – a stuffed elephant called Dumbo – was just a mere indication how different her life would pan out. After graduating from Boston’s Emerson College, and the University College London, she worked in the film industry in Los Angeles, and in London.

She visited South Africa for the first time with her film crew whilst she was shooting a project, and as soon as she arrived, she realised that she “didn’t ever want to leave,” so her one-month stay was extended to three months. She left the filming behind, travelled widely, took photographs, and got up close with some of the country’s incredible wildlife. This included a stint at Space for Elephants, one of the foundations that Elephant Gin now supports.

“In 2011, when I met with the charity foundation, Space for Elephants, I did say to them ‘I will go back, and I will do something that will help you and this foundation, because I think it’s such a great thing,” said Tessa.

Tessa then met her then husband-to-be Robin Gerlach in London, with whom she shared similar travelling experiences. Robin had travelled around Kenya, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and explored around Serengeti, which sparked a desire in Robin to get more involved in conservation.

“After a day out in the African bush, the drink to have is usually a gin and tonic, and it’s called a sundowner. You meet for a sundowner drink around a campfire, or at night with friends, and we tried to keep that tradition when we were all back in London. So when we met, we would have our gin and tonic, and think back to the time that we were there travelling. That’s how the whole gin thing started,” said Tessa.

Tessa had always been fascinated with the pachyderms, but she also knew that that poaching and a prevailing poverty was driving the African elephant to extinction. “That’s why from the very first bottle sold in September 2013, we have given 15% of bottle profits to Big Life Foundation and Space for Elephants. They’re devoted to the conservation of the African elephant,” said Tessa.

Robin and Tessa: congratulations on your Elephant Gin B Corp certification.

Find out more here: https://elephant-gin.com